Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to disabled young people who are required to take traineeships or unpaid work experience under the Earn or Learn policy.

Jobcentre Plus will help meet the costs of any reasonable adjustments where appropriate to enable the young person to participate in a work experience placement. Certain expenses, such as child care costs and travel can also be reimbursed.

Young people participating in a traineeship can qualify for existing financial support, including the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, Free Meals, and Learning and Learner Support funding for 19 to 24 year olds. Access to Work is also available for the work experience placement of their traineeship if they have a disability or health condition that affects their ability to do a job, or means they have to pay extra work-related costs.

Any policy changes under the Youth Obligation will be set out in due course.